1
as in counterfeits
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
experts declared that one of the museum's prized paintings was actually a fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frauds
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
a hidden-camera investigation revealed that the so-called psychic was a fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in forges
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
pranksters faked giant footprints and then claimed that they had seen Bigfoot
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pretends
to present a false appearance of
while running for class president, Dan was not above faking friendship with people just to get their votes
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in devises
to perform, make, or do without preparation
if you give me the gist of the plan, I can probably fake enough for the speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in evades
to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement
the running back faked the defense by stepping to his left and then quickly cutting to the right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fakes
Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
The main goal isn't to catch fakes but to move inventory.
—Padmakumar Nair, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Unfortunately, we were deprived of all those fake idols getting played because players kept leaving the game with fakes in their pockets, socks, and bags.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Once word got out about the reports in Ohio, so did the obvious fakes.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
As news of the fakes reverberated around the art world, experts described the scheme as a classic of the genre — one that is far more prevalent than some in the industry would like to admit.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Swift’s likeness has been used without permission in numerous AI fakes, including by Meta’s AI chatbots and in pornographic images that have circulated on the internet.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Jenna Ushkowitz was a Spring Awakening costar of Lea Michele's when Ryan Murphy cast her to play the one-time goth Tina, who fakes a stutter to stand out at school.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Returning the favor Kitty did for her earlier in Season 3 by visiting her in New York during a turbulent time with her longtime boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), Kitty’s older sister Lara Jean (Lana Condor) fakes norovirus to fly to Seoul and take care of Kitty post-Chuseok chaos.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
This isn’t a war where AI fakes fool everyone nor where detection tools catch everything.
—Mahsa Alimardani, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
As with any market, more money means more scammers, and fakes abound — this past fall Sotheby’s cancelled two memorabilia auctions over authenticity concerns.
—Julie Brener Davich, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Each time Ivy's owner, Ryan, draws nearer, the dog fakes him out and bounds away, tail wagging.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Ake fakes a core breach to get Braka off the ship, with the Klingarite reluctantly leaving.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
Brunson fakes the swing to the right corner, blows past VJ Edgecombe, gets both feet into the paint, draws two defenders and finds OG Anunoby in the left corner.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
Noun
Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).
—Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
The main goal isn't to catch fakes but to move inventory.
—Padmakumar Nair, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Unfortunately, we were deprived of all those fake idols getting played because players kept leaving the game with fakes in their pockets, socks, and bags.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Once word got out about the reports in Ohio, so did the obvious fakes.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
As news of the fakes reverberated around the art world, experts described the scheme as a classic of the genre — one that is far more prevalent than some in the industry would like to admit.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Swift’s likeness has been used without permission in numerous AI fakes, including by Meta’s AI chatbots and in pornographic images that have circulated on the internet.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
The conflict escalates when Stoner fails Lomax’s protégé, Charles Walker, a student who fakes his seminar report and lacks basic knowledge.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Jenna Ushkowitz was a Spring Awakening costar of Lea Michele's when Ryan Murphy cast her to play the one-time goth Tina, who fakes a stutter to stand out at school.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Returning the favor Kitty did for her earlier in Season 3 by visiting her in New York during a turbulent time with her longtime boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), Kitty’s older sister Lara Jean (Lana Condor) fakes norovirus to fly to Seoul and take care of Kitty post-Chuseok chaos.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
This isn’t a war where AI fakes fool everyone nor where detection tools catch everything.
—Mahsa Alimardani, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
As with any market, more money means more scammers, and fakes abound — this past fall Sotheby’s cancelled two memorabilia auctions over authenticity concerns.
—Julie Brener Davich, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Each time Ivy's owner, Ryan, draws nearer, the dog fakes him out and bounds away, tail wagging.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Ake fakes a core breach to get Braka off the ship, with the Klingarite reluctantly leaving.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
Brunson fakes the swing to the right corner, blows past VJ Edgecombe, gets both feet into the paint, draws two defenders and finds OG Anunoby in the left corner.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fakes
Noun
-
Unprosecuted crimes against the public — such as the widespread sale of 78-cent postage stamps for 19 cents to 59 cents, rolls of 100, counterfeits all, for years online.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Greece, home to an extensive repository of cultural artifacts, has long contended with the proliferation of counterfeits and the looting of archaeological sites.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
They got exposed as major frauds today.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Satire is brilliant for exposing the folly of humans, especially those in power and those working in bad faith—the hypocrites and the frauds—and can be particularly potent when set in irrational or dystopic times.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Her words accrue and gain power through their spareness and clarity, and a level of character development that forges an easy intimacy with the reader.—
Leigh Haber,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, Duncan forges ahead with Carl as his new partner.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Beauty, then, arises from the pain and struggle of experiencing oneself as a site of divine truancy, and ugly is that which pretends to be directly equivalent to the soul, God, etc.—
Esther Yi,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
The attacker pretends to be someone trustworthy, often IT support, customer service or a security employee.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The group devises a plan to keep order, which includes using a conch shell to call meetings and delineate when a person wants to speak.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
5 May 2026
-
In her work, Mackintosh devises scenarios that are bold and almost aggressively simplified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And though bound together as one 10-county region, the Hudson Valley actively evades a uniform identity.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
-
In March, the French navy seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean that Macron said belonged to Russia’s shadow fleet, which comprises several hundred tankers through which Russia evades sanctions.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The fact remains that 30 years ago, before the Texas Air National Guard fiasco, among so many other fake-news hoaxes, 60 Minutes had more than 20 million viewers a week.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
-
Scams similar to this one have been reported as social media hoaxes in the past.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Discernment in separating potential winners from the pretenders is a positive, if sometimes manic and messy, process.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
-
As the difference between contenders and pretenders becomes clearer each week, the Seahawks took a significant step Sunday toward cementing themselves as a team to be reckoned with down the line.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fakes. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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